10 Month Mark - Horrible Relapse

Brittney!

I'm so so sorry this is happening to you. I also had mono in January, got functional in mid March. Fine through April/May and crashed when I had surgery.

I've been convinced it's something worse than mono. I did see an infectious disease doctor and he thinks it is autoimmune. Hair falling out, swollen lymph nodes, especially in the face, lock jaw, locked hips. I had a fever for two months straight. CBD oil really helped with breaking the fever but I had to take a lot of it. Three half droppers a day, one morning, afternoon, evening to get the fever and body heat to stop. I had to get more strict with my diet and eat an autoimmune Paleo diet.

I'm much better than even in July but it was definitely out of control inflammation that my blood work wasn't pointing to any one issue conclusively. My Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, cortisol, blood sugar and urine were wacky. But they returned to normal after 2 months of hell, a strict diet and more CBD oil in a day than i thought could be safe (for me, it was very safe and beneficial), a little THC, a lot of sleep.

I even got my own groceries Monday, a huge victory for me at this point. I want to tell you it's just mono but sometimes mono make you susceptible to other illnesses, diseases and immune issues. From what I've experience and read about, many symptoms can be helped substantially with a good diet and anti-inflammatories.

Sorry for the long message but I just didn't want you to feel like you were alone especially since I felt the same way at the end of May, when I also had surgery and a relapse.

My routine (because my liver defect prevents me from using NSAIDS that are harsh long-term) is a half dropper of CBD oil in the morning, Omega-3 with CoQ10 at lunch and curcumin tablet at night. This keeps my inflammation in check for the most part. Good luck and take it easy. Message me anytime if you want support.

Sounds normal to me, you'll get better.

It is baffling how under recognized and under researched EBV reactivation is in the medical community.

Hi Brittney,

What a terrible time you have been through by the sounds of it, thank you for taking the time to post even doing that and writing about such an awful and painful experience in your life like this takes courage and can be so hard.

I really empathise having went through mono a number of years ago, and I really want to write to offer you reassurance and encouragement that things WILL get better. After 10 months it had been a terrible rollercoaster for me too and I had just been through a spell at the 9-10 month mark where I started getting weird joint pains and bruising and I was just so low and discouraged and felt that things would never get better, and that I would have to get used to this as a new 'normal'.

But believe me Brittney, things DO get better. I remember struggling to see my body resilience returning at all, being able to cope with normal daily activities let alone more strenuous ones seemed so far away. My body felt so fragile at that 10 month mark, I prayed to God to help me and I know it was only down to Him and His healing that things got better after that.

Can I tell you Brittney that Year 2 was like one of liberation, I felt SO much better and it was SO much easier compared to the horrors of Year 1 - this virus in no way harm you like it did in the early months or first year again. It sounds very much like this surgery you've had has intensified the symptoms and brought on this relapse - that kind of thing can be VERY normal during recovery, the relapses can feel so intense and almost like you are back at the beginning again - but truly you're not Brittney, my experience of these were that they settled down within a few weeks and you get back on track again and will continue to work towards full recovery.

It's so hard to keep positive and optimistic when it goes on for so long, it truly is a dreadful experience and just wanted you to know I'm thinking about you Brittney, and to reassure you that what you're going through even at this stage 10 months is normal, and it is also equally normal to go on and make a FULL and complete recovery - the vast majority of people do, it's just so frustrating it takes a bit of time, it often is just a time factor with this. Everyone's timescale for recovery is different, but I have noticed a lot of people's stories where that period 9-15 months is when a real breakthrough and change in healing happens, with God's help of course!

Taking vitamins and herbs really helped me during recovery, a good strong multi-vitamin per day (I take Immunace Extra here in the UK), higher doses of Vitamin C (1000mg-3000mg per day), a B complex vitamin or Co-enzyme Q10 per day (can be great for nervous system and energy levels) and immune boosting herbs like siberian ginseng and echinacea. These can help your body cope better - but of course it's VERY important to check for any interactions with other conditions / medication before starting supplements, and perhaps even getting advice from a herbal specialist if able to - that helped me a lot.

Thinking of you Brittney - and given what I know about this virus having gone through it myself and read the recovery stories of many many others who went through a terrible time with it, I want you to know that I truly 100% believe you are going to get through this and get back to full health again with a bit of time - but just listen to your body and get extra rest right now if it needs it, especially after going through a surgery.

The forum here is a really good one, lots of kind people who know what it's like to go through this and truly understand - message any time feeling down or just want to offload, and let us know how you are doing over the next wee while.

Craig